Pastor's Note, 7-30-17

Among other valuable things, St. Ignatius left behind a very small book titled "Spiritual Exercises" which is a series of meditations intended to help Christians grow spiritually. Someone once asked me if this was a book worth reading and I responded that it is not a book intended to be read but rather to be done. If someone wants to become more physically fit, that is not accomplished by reading a book about physical fitness but rather by doing the things the book recommends. The same is true of the spiritual life. If I may continue this comparison, if someone wants to become stronger and has had very little physical exercise, then she/he would not go to the gym and try to lift 500 pounds. He/she would start with something easier and work up to more arduous tasks. It is important to do spiritual exercise, for example, prayer, reading Scripture and it is also important to build up our spiritual muscles gradually. If someone wants to grow in the habit of prayer, which is a good thing, then beginning with a short period of time and not trying to meditate for a very long time is probably a good idea.